Prophets, Priests and Kings
By David Jamison
In Sunday’s sermon, I mentioned that we are all prophets, priests and kings under Christ, the True Prophet, Priest and King. I wanted to expand on that for clarity. Below is a excerpt from our church’s developing vision for discipleship that explains this concept in much greater detail:
The Goal of Discipleship
When we consider the goal of discipleship we are focused on the idea of sanctification, of having the whole Christ formed in the whole person. The Westminster Confession of Faith explains that sanctification is the process in the believer’s life in which “the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified; and they [the Christian] more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces, to the practice of true holiness…” (13.1) This is certainly in line with the goal of having the whole Christ formed in the whole person. The goal of discipleship is that we are formed more and more into holy living, mature character and biblically sound doctrine.
The Whole Christ: Prophet, Priest, King
The question must be asked: what does it mean to form the whole Christ in the whole person? First, the whole Christ. The church historic has understood that Christ fulfilled three offices. He is our Prophet, Priest and King. We will use this paradigm to think about Christian discipleship. If we are meant to mature into Christlikeness, then we must be maturing into our roles of prophets, priests and kings. We believe this model provides an important way to think about the maturing of the whole person into the image of Christ.
Prophet (revelation, communication)
The prophets of the old testament were defined as those who said, “thus says the Lord.” In his book Prophet, Priest and King (PPK) Richard Belcher says a prophet is defined by, “how they handle the word of God.” (pg. 10). Thus, “revelation” - meaning what God has revealed - is the domain of the prophet.
Jesus as Prophet. Not only is Jesus Christ the very Word of God (John 1:1), but he spoke only the words that the Father gave to him (John 7:16; 8:28). In fact, Hebrews says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” Jesus is the Word of God who consistently proclaimed the Word of God, being the perfect Prophet.
The Christian as Prophet. The Christian, being united to Christ, is also called to be a prophet. Of course we cannot perform the role of prophet the way that Christ did (or priest or king, for that matter) but we are under-prophets - serving under the True Prophet, Christ. In PPK, Belcher draws this conclusion about the believer as prophet: “A believer must be committed to study and understand the Word of God… to minister to others, and to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). A father must understand Scripture to lead his family in the study and use of God’s Word, and a mother must be able to apply the Word of God to her children daily. In this way the Bible becomes foundational to everything a believer does in life.” (pg. 168) In one way you can think of the prophetic role as faithfully interpreting reality for yourself and others in accordance with the interpretation that God has already spoken: “Thus says the Lord.” This includes: evangelism, correcting a brother or sister in Christ according to the Word, warning of consequences of disobedience to God, teaching your children the bible.
Priest (religion, communion)
Priests were primarily focused on the cultic, or “religious” life of the people of Israel. God gave his people priests that were to facilitate our religious ceremonies, sacrifices, feasts, wear religious clothes, etc. All the aspects of priestly duties were for the sake of ceremonial - religious - holiness and cleanliness so as to facilitate an Israelite's communion with God. When an Israelite sinned or became ceremonially unclean the priests had a way of restoring those people to relationship with God. They were mediating the relationship between God and his people.
Jesus and Priest. Jesus fulfills the role of mediating Priest perfectly and once-for-all by his work of atonement. Holiness, sinlessness, offering sacrifice and mediating relationship to God are all aspects of Christ’s work. Again, the book of Hebrews is helpful:
“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.” (9:11-15)
The Christian as Priest. The Christian, likewise, is brought into the role of priest. “... our bodies are to be devoted to pleasing God. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who lives in us, so we should flee sexual immorality (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Just as holiness was a major focus of the priests in the Old Testament, so believers are set apart to live holy lives for God.” (PPK, pg, 172) The Christian as priest is concerned with relating to God, and by extension presenting themselves as holy before God. And, like priests of the old testament mediated for the Israelite, so a Christian must petition God in prayer for others and help them pursue holiness and communion with God.
In summary, the Christian as priest includes: 1. Caring for others - especially in praying for them, counseling them and bearing their burdens for the sake of their personal holiness. 2. Worship and communion with God - corporately (on Sundays), in your household, and as an individual (think spiritual disciplines), 3. Your own personal holiness - mortifying sin in your life, repenting and being restored to covenant communion with God by appealing to the atoning work of Christ on your behalf.
King (rule, conformity)
The old testament teaching of a king is focused on, “ruling over and caring for God’s creation.” (PPK, pg. 105) While this demonstrates broadly what a king’s role is, Israel’s kingship can help us flesh it out. When looking at King David, Israel’s best king, it’s important that he was both a shepherd - an important theme that often accompanies kingship in Scripture - and a warrior-protector - he ably defeated Goliath by the power of God and saved Israel. Additionally the book of Proverbs emphasizes how important wisdom is in the life of a king. In the book Solomon Says, Mark Horne informs us that, “Proverbs is written to young men (and everyone else) to encourage and instruct them to become kings…” (pg. ix) Mastery, rule, authority and dominion are all part of the idea of kingship. Indeed, a king is meant to bring all things within the bounds of his kingdom into conformity with the rule of God.
Jesus as King. Hebrews 2:9 says that Jesus is “crowned with glory and honor”, and Matthew 25:31 says Jesus is on “the throne of his glory”. Furthermore, Jesus himself said, “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’” (Matt. 28:18) Jesus is now reigning from on high and the right hand of God the Father Almighty. He has complete dominion, authority and rule over all creation. And he is conforming the world, by the message of the Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit, to his rule.
The Christian as King. It might be most appropriate to talk about Christians as vice-regents - people who have delegated authority. Christ has brought us into his work of ruling and exercising his dominion in the world. As vice-regents, or under-kings, we each have our own small “kingdom” to conform to the rule of Christ. “A king is someone who has authority over a kingdom. Proverbs teaches that we all ordinarily come to possess an area of the world over which we have authority” (PPK).The authority that we have been given must first be used on ourselves. According to Proverbs 25:28, “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” We must first bring ourselves under God’s rule and conform ourselves to him - in our thoughts, character and actions. Then we must be diligent and wise to exercise our authority in the rest of the kingdom of our life. This will sometimes include disciplining the wrongdoings of your children or employees. As shepherd-king, it means knowing the needs and desires of those in your care (wife, children, friends, etc.). As warrior-king, it means laying down your life in protection of those in your care - both physically and spiritually. In short, being a king includes: Self-control, serving and protecting others, exercising dominion, and appropriately executing discipline.
The Good Works of Prophets, Priests and Kings
In the sermon, I mentioned that in Matthew 5:13-16 being salt and light means engaging in good works so the world will see them and glorify God the Father. And I connected those good works to the Christian’s three roles of prophet, priest and king. I want to bring this down to the ground so you might have some concrete examples of what this might look like in your life. This is not a comprehensive list, so use it as a launchpad for brainstorming what God has gifted you to do and provided the opportunities for.
Prophet: Family worship. Training your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Sharing the gospel with a neighbor. In love, helping a brother or sister in Christ see a needed area of repentance in their life. Understanding the world with a biblical worldview (determining what God says in principle about all areas of your life).
Priest: Hospitality. Pursuing a life of holiness; putting to death sin in your life and growing in Christlikeness. Engaging spiritual disciplines (reading, praying, etc.). Regular church attendance. Caring for the needy around you. Being generous with your time, treasures and talents. Volunteering at church. Confessing sin to one another. Bringing a meal to a neighbor or friend in need.
King: Having a well-managed home (regular rhythms, biblical discipline of children, overall intentional household). Wise financial stewardship according to biblical principles. Well organized schedule/calendar. Taking responsibility/not passing the buck. Doing everything with excellence. Living with real Christian integrity and virtue at work.
A few final thoughts. First, these examples are for inspiration of what it could look like in your life to be salt and light, not a list of things that you should feel guilty about not doing . Second, this is just a very small list of all the possibilities we have to be prophets, priests and kings in the world; use your imagination to look around you and see what God might be doing in your particular context. Third, you’ll notice many of these examples happen in the home or in the church where the world won’t always be able to directly see. You’d be surprised, though, how many people are drawn to the gospel simply by seeing their neighbors loving their children and having a healthy, Christ-centered marriage. Finally, remember that your job is only to be salt and light as best you can and leave the rest to God. It’s not your job to save the world, it’s simply your job to be salt and light. It’s the Spirit that ends up drawing people.
